When Paths Diverge
by Victor4418
Summary: When Ed and Al are sent on a mission, things go wrong, as they often do. Al has to step up and be the hero while Ed is unable to fulfill his duties. Will Al be able to handle the pressure and be the hero that he needs to be? And how will Mustang handle another case of Ed's famous mishaps?
1. Chapter 1

I'm updating this to say I do now own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters or work. I am simply using them for the sake of writing my own little stories. Thank you!

 **Prologue**

When Ed and Al are sent on a mission, things go a little different than expected. Ed and Al are currently on a train investigating a case of potential train robbers that are also under cover gun smugglers for a huge crime ring they have been investigating for months. Ed left Al to investigate a suspect, ending up in the engine room by himself. Caught by surprise at several unknown men in the room and the train driver missing, Ed was quickly restrained. Al, feeling something was wrong, went to find his brother and followed directions given by other passengers to his brother's location.

 **The Story Begins**

Alphonse saw everything in slow motion, the events burned into his memory for as long as he would live. The men holding his brother hostage moved closer towards him, preventing him from getting nearer to Edward. His brother was struggling to get free of his restraints, but they were too tight. As Edward struggled, one of the men used the back of his shotgun to hit Edward in the temple, stunning the alchemist. Edward collapsed to the floor, blood trickled from a small gash, caused by the blow of the gun, dripping into Edward's eye.

"Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed, shock and worry evident in his voice.

"Al, get out of here. Now!" Edward ordered as he tried to sit back up.

"No one's going anywhere. We're taking control of this train. Anyone who gets in our way is going to be dealt with swiftly." The leader of the gang said, smirking as he looked at the scene in front of him. "Nab that one there and tie him up good. We don't want people to panic just yet."

"Yes sir." Two men went to grab Alphonse, but the young alchemist was too fast, jumping away from them. At the same time, he clapped his hands together and touched both sides of the train walls, sending surging currents of alchemy throughout the train. Immediately, the engine car detached from the rest of the train, the brakes were being applied on the passenger portions of the train thanks to Alphonse's quick thinking. Cursing, the men pushed past Alphonse, watching their potential easy money getting further and further away. Alphonse took advantage of their distraction to quickly slam the two men together, bashing their heads, causing them to fall to the ground unconscious. That's when hell broke loose.

Alphonse began to fight another two guards while Edward wobbled to his feet, looking for anything to free his hands of the rope restraining them. A guard went towards him, gun aimed at his chest, but Edward ducked and charged head first into the man's gut. Out of breath, the man fell to the ground, holding his stomach. Edward kicked the gun away from the man, sending it flying out of the now gaping doorway of the engine compartment, watching it bounce away on the train tracks. While the man was down, Edward went back to looking for a way to cut the rope from his wrists. Edward spotted what looked like a miner's pick next to the driver's seat, its original purpose meant to be used for rocks stuck on the train tracks or to break the glass of the nearby window if the driver was trapped. Edward rushed over and began to rub the rope against the pick, watching as Alphonse dodged one of the men swinging a coal shovel at his head.

"Watch it, I need my head you know." Alphonse complained as he grabbed the shovel and broke it into two pieces and threw it out the open train door. Undeterred, the two men began to push Alphonse towards that same door, trying to shove him off the train.

"Al!" Edward shouted, tossing the rope to the ground and running towards his brother. Before he could stop the men from pushing his brother off the train, the leader stepped in front of Edward, a gun pointed at his head.

"That's as far as you go. I need to use you as a hostage for ransom since your brother over there lost me all that loot from the passengers. I know you're a State Alchemist, there's no way you could fight that well without training, nor know as much about our group without military clearance. The fact that you are on this train, looking specifically for us gives away too much about you. I also know that the military won't let you go so easily. If you don't cooperate, I'll shoot your brother right here and now." The leader flicked the toothpick from his mouth into the furnace that was currently burning the coal to fuel the train.

"Hmph. Shoot him if you want, it won't make a difference." Edward laughed.

Surprised by the response, the leader stood there for a second, unable to do anything. That's when the train began to take a sharp turn on the track. Since the train weighed less with the removal of the passenger cars, the train had picked up speed, causing it to go almost twice as fast as it normally would have when it hit the turn. The train began to tip over and everyone slid to the side as the train car fell. The leader, losing control of his footing, lost control of his hold on his gun as well. He fired the gun and the bullet struck Edward in his left shoulder, blood starting to gush from the wound. Edward saw Alphonse reach out towards him, but the shock of being shot caused him to lose focus of everything. The sounds, the sights, the feeling of being flipped over and over as the train derailed and rolled down a cliff before crashing into a very deep river. Edward was too stunned to move as the water came rushing in and the pain was too much for him, overwhelming him and forcing him to slip into unconsciousness at the worst possible time.


	2. Chapter 2

Alphonse saw the gun go off, the bullet hitting his brother. The look of surprise on Edward was almost comically funny, as he rarely saw his brother so shocked. But the situation was far from funny. He tried to grab Edward as the train rolled, tried to protect his older brother since he himself couldn't get hurt, but Edward was too far away. After about 30 seconds of rolling, the train crashed into a river, water rushing into every available nook and cranny. Alphonse was a good swimmer, but having a body made of metal meant he avoided the water as the weight caused him to sink very quickly. On top of that, all the tumbling had knocked one of his arms free from his body, a huge problem for him as it prevented him from performing Alchemy. The train began to sink into the river and Alphonse desperately looked for his brother. The train robbers managed to slip out of the train and reach the surface of the river, but Alphonse's only concern was his brother.

Scanning the area, he found Edward pinned by part of a support beam that had collapsed from all the tumbling. He swam to his brother, struggling with just one arm, and ripped the metal free from Edward, grabbing him around the waist and desperately kicking at the water to swim out of the train, blood trailing after the brothers. After a few moments, he managed to get to the surface, pulling Edward above the water to get him breathing. Instead of taking great gulps of air, Edward grew paler, his chest still. Alphonse swam to shore, panic taking over at the thought of Edward not breathing. Once he hit shore, he immediately began CPR on Edward.

"Breathe brother. Breathe. You can't die here. You promised we would get our bodies back. You can't give up yet." Alphonse pleaded as he pumped Edward's chest up and down. After a moment, Edward began to cough up the river water, gasping for air. As soon as he had some air in his lungs, Alphonse began to sob with relief, granted he couldn't actually cry, but he had to express his feelings of absolute relief that Ed wasn't going to die.

Ed moaned in pain, his whole body hurting. His head was ringing and his shoulder felt like it was on fire. Even though this wasn't the first time he had been shot, it still hurt like hell. As Alphonse tried to get Ed to move, Alphonse heard rustling nearby. Ed went to stand up, but it was too much and he collapsed to the ground, striking his head enough to make him unconscious again. That's when the robbers broke through the foliage nearby and Alphonse began to internally curse the whole trip. This wasn't how he had planned to spend his ride home.

"Over there, we found them!" The robbers shouting to their leader as they began to run towards Alphonse and Edward. Alphonse looked at Edward who was still unconscious and quickly weighed his options. He knew it probably wasn't the best idea to move someone who potentially had a spine or neck injury, but he couldn't just leave his brother unprotected and he couldn't fight the robbers with Edward as injured as he was. Edward hadn't complained of any injury in the short amount of time he had been conscious or trying to stand, and Alphonse could have already caused damage pulling him out of the train, so Al decided he would just have to get his brother to safety. Scooping Edward up into his arm, Alphonse tried to be gentler as he took off into the trees, looking for somewhere to hide. The men chased him, planning on making sure they didn't escape.

All Alphonse could see was trees and bushes, but nothing looked suitable for Alphonse to use to hide him or Edward. He ran as fast as he could, praying Edward wouldn't gain consciousness while he fled for their lives. The weight of his body, plus Edward's made him slower than usual, and the terrain wasn't helpful as tree roots tried to trip him every time he took a step. He could hear the men getting closer as they crashed through the trees. Suddenly, Al took a step into nothing, not seeing the ditch he had run into. He fell to the bottom, losing Edward as they tumbled down the hill. They crashed at the bottom, Edward lying perfectly still. Alphonse stood up and picked him up, running again. After another 10 minutes of weaving in between the trees, Alphonse spotted a cave, carved into the mountainside he had been running parallel to since they had fallen. Alphonse quickly scoped the cave, making sure no animals were currently living in it. Satisfied that it was unoccupied, Alphonse gently placed Edward in the cave and began to look for materials he could use to hide the cave. Unable to transmute, he quickly dragged a nearby fallen tree in front of the cave so it looked like it had naturally fallen in front of the cave. Then he moved to the furthest part of the cave, hiding Edward behind him, and sat quietly inside the cave, praying they wouldn't be found.

After waiting in silence for five minutes, he could hear the men arrive in the area, searching for clues as to where they went. They were loud and angry, frustrated that the trail had suddenly stopped. After bickering about which way the two Alchemists could have gone, the men left the area, continuing the search. Alphonse waited a few minutes before peeking through the cave opening. Still cautious, Alphonse waited a while longer before searching the nearby area for the would-be kidnappers. Satisfied that they weren't in the immediate area, Alphonse relaxed a little and got to work.

Alphonse returned to Edward and began to rip parts of the Alchemist's bright red jacket he always wore into small strips for bandages. It was tedious, frustrating work as he only had one hand. He had to hold the fabric on the ground with his foot and use his hand to tear the fabric in pieces. He had no control over how the fabric tore so he was left with jagged strips that were either too big or too small. He pieced together what fabric he could use and began to treat Edward's injuries. Eventually he was able to somewhat tie a bandage around some of his brother's wounds. Edward was shivering from the cold, still wet from their plunge in the river. Alphonse took what was left of the soggy jacket and laid it next to the tree outside of the cave that was still bathed in sunlight, hoping to dry the jacket. He made sure that the jacket couldn't be seen easily since it's bright color was very noticeable amongst the green foliage. Afterwards, he checked to make sure Edward was concealed before leaving to look for supplies.

Moving quickly, Alphonse scavenged for food and a place for water. Frustrated at the lack of an arm, he realized it was going to be impossible to build a fire. There wasn't a water source nearby, which worried Alphonse, but he figured he could look for water again later on when the robbers weren't so close. After finding some edible plants and berries, he returned to the cave. Edward was still unconscious, but he could see his brother's health was declining. His breathing was labored and he was still shaking from the cold as it began to turn into night and the temperature outside dropped. Alphonse checked on the jacket and found while it was no longer soaking, it was still damp. With the sun sinking beyond the horizon, Alphonse wrapped the jacket around Edward, hoping to keep him somewhat warm. He also grabbed some leaves lying on the ground outside and tried to make a blanket out of them for Edward. His brother was muttering in his sleep, sweat on his brow and cheeks flushed. Alphonse knew Edward was fighting a fever from the cold, but he couldn't do anything more for his brother. Scared and frustrated, Alphonse sat at the entrance of the cave to stand guard, trying to figure out how they were going to get help.

He knew that the military must have rescued the passengers from the train at this point and that someone must have reported the two missing Alchemists. If Mustang got wind of their absence, Alphonse doubted they would be left missing for long. Someone had to have figured out what had happened to Alphonse and Edward. All he could do was hope that someone found them soon. He made plans to head back to the train crash in the morning so he could find help.

Throughout the night, he waited and listened to the forest noises and watched for any intruders, animal or human. Every time a branch snapped, his eyes darted towards the direction he heard the noise come from, hoping it wasn't the robbers. Edward developed a deep raspy cough that made it harder for him to breathe. Alphonse was afraid the noise would give them away, but he couldn't do anything about it. At one point, he gained consciousness, but the fever had him babbling useless things before he succumbed to unconsciousness again. Alphonse watched his brother worriedly, unsure what might happen to the only member of his family left. In the distance, Alphonse could see smoke, indicating that the robbers had set up camp for the night and were thankfully not to close. Still, he remained on guard in case they took turns looking for them during the night. Finally morning came and Alphonse decided to go look for help. Just as he was getting ready to leave, he heard footsteps and people crashing around nearby.


	3. Chapter 3

Alphonse moved towards the back of the cave where Edward was lying down, watching the entrance as he backed away from it. He could hear people moving closer and closer and Alphonse grabbed a branch nearby to use as a weapon. The footsteps stopped and whispering could be heard, but Alphonse could only tell that two people were talking. A shadow crossed the entrance of the cave and Alphonse stood up, ready to charge the person. Just as he swung the branch, a hand shot out and grabbed the branch, snatching it out of Alphonse's hand. Alphonse swung his fist, but stopped just inches from Colonel Mustang's face.

"Colonel! Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Alphonse scooped them both up in a one-armed hug, thrilled to see his friends from Headquarters.

"Alphonse! We finally found you." Lieutenant Hawkeye said, relief evident in her voice.

"Where's Fullmetal?" Mustang asked. "What happened to your arm?"

"Brother's in here. He's sick and injured. We were stopping some train robbers and the engine fell off the tracks. We crashed into a river and I lost my arm in the crash. Then I had to hide us here because the robbers are still looking for us. I doubt they have given up on finding us. I thought you were the robbers." Alphonse said as he led them inside. "I've done what I can for brother, but I can't do much with one arm."

"My god." Mustang said as his eyes adjusted to the dim light in the cave and he spotted Ed.

"We have to get him to a hospital sir." Riza quickly checked the young Alchemists' vitals and injuries. She noticed he was shaking and his teeth were chattering, but he was hot to the touch and sweating all over. "His fever is too high." Riza said. "Hand me your jacket sir, we can wrap him in it." Riza took off her own jacket and began to change Edward's bandages with strips from what was left of the Fullmetal's damp jacket. "It's not safe to move him without medical help. He has some broken ribs and his good arm looks like it could be broken too. This head injury isn't good either."

"Is that a bullet wound?" Colonel Mustang asked, spotting the injury.

"The leader of the robbers shot him as the train was rolling. He was going to kill Edward though so I'm grateful it only shot him in the shoulder." Alphonse said.

"Riza, we need to build a stretcher to carry him, see if you can find some branches big enough to move him. We need to find a way to contact the nearest search group." Colonel Mustang said as they both left the cave. Alphonse, try to prop his head on your lap, it'll help him breathe easier." Mustang suggested.

"Sir, the closest search team would be Charlie Squad. They are at least half a mile east of here. Seeing as the walk would be detrimental for Edward's health, I suggest I go look for them and you stay here with Alphonse." Riza said, standing up.

"Why you? I can go and find them." Mustang retorted.

"Sir, I can't let you do that. I can spot them quicker and easier than you and someone needs to guard the Elrics. Also, you can start a fire quicker than I can. We need to keep Fullmetal warm until he can be evaluated." Riza replied calmly.

"Very well Riza. Be quick and be careful." Mustang said as he began building a fire pit in the cave. Riza left as Mustang finished building the pit, Alphonse handed him sticks as needed. Once it was ready, Mustang used his Alchemy to start the fire. The flames were bright in the dim cave and the heat radiating from the flames was comforting after spending a night in the freezing cold. Together, Alphonse and Mustang moved Edward closer to the fire and Alphonse went and dipped a few rags in the water canteen Mustang had before dabbing Edward's forehead to cool him off. Alphonse then tried to get Edward to drink some water, but Ed only took two sips. Alphonse put away the water canteen and after offering Mustang what little food he had found, he sat against a wall, never taking his eyes off of his brother.

"Alphonse, I know you're worried, but I need to know what happened. What were the train robbers after? What made the engine run away from the train?" Mustang asked as he looked at Al from across the fire.

"Brother and I were riding the train home from our latest trip to finding a way to get our bodies back. Brother wanted to know how much longer the trip would be and went to talk to the engineers. I stayed in our seats, waiting for him, but it was taking too long. I figured brother might be causing trouble, so I went to get him. I entered the engine room to find brother tied up and held hostage by train robbers. They were after the passengers' valuables. I tried to help him, but the robbers tried to take me out so I wouldn't alert the passengers. I separated the engine from the train to protect the passengers, then I fought the robbers. Edward somehow got free and was fighting the leader. Next thing I knew, the train was tipping while making a turn, Edward was shot, we crashed into the river, and then I brought us here so the robbers wouldn't find us. That's all I know. I heard the leader mention he was going to use brother as a hostage when we allowed the passengers to escape since he was a State Alchemist." Al said as he returned to watching the flames dance in front of him.

"I guess we'll have to wait until Fullmetal wakes up before I can yell at him for being so stupid." Mustang sighed after a couple minutes. "Will Ed be able to fix your arm if it's missing?"

"I'm sure he'll figure out something. If we have to go look for it in the river, I'm not sure we can find it. The water is too rough and fast. But I won't know until brother takes a look at it." Al replied.

The two waited patiently for Riza's return, both lost in thought about what had happened and what would happen next if they were lucky enough to get out of the cave undetected by the robbers. Mustang noticed that Edward wasn't shaking as much and took that as a positive sign for his mend to recovery. However, the boy looked so pale and so beaten up, it surprised him that Edward had escaped with his life. Alphonse couldn't be hurt, so it wasn't as big of a deal but Edward was still flesh and blood and quite capable of kicking the bucket at any time. He was going to have to ground Edward to Central city while he recovered, not that Fullmetal would be pleased.

Suddenly, Edward began to thrash about as his body locked up. Mustang had seen a seizure before, several times while fighting in the wars. People would go into shock or suffer brain damage and would suffer from the condition. However, it terrified him to see one so young go through the experience. Al began to panic but Mustang pinned Edward to the ground as gently as he could. He wasn't sure what was causing the seizure, but his best guess would be trauma to the brain from the train crash or the high fever. Edward was shaking for about a minute before the episode stopped. As the boy's body went still, Mustang let go of him, mindful of the injuries. Alphonse was visibly shaken up after witnessing such a scary thing happen and Mustang sighed as he rubbed his hand over his face before pinching the bridge of his nose. This was just getting better and better.

"Colonel, will brother make it to Central in time?" Alphonse asked quietly as he looked at the ground.

"Of course, Alphonse. Your brother is a fighter, he doesn't give up so easily. He's just going to need to have his injuries treated and plenty of rest. He'll be fine." Mustang said, trying more to reassure himself of what he was saying. They both knew there was no guarantee, but he wasn't going to voice the possibility, no matter what. Finally, both men heard several sets of footsteps approaching the cave. Still on alert, they got ready to attack any potential enemy that came near the cave. After another twenty seconds, Riza stepped into view, followed by the Charlie squad. Relief showed on the Flame Alchemists face at seeing backup, but it was mainly due to the fact that the Lieutenant was back where she belonged, right next to his side.

"How is he?" Riza asked as she approached them.

"Not good, he's getting worse. He had a minor seizure a few minutes ago. We can't afford to stay here any longer." Mustang replied. Riza immediately jumped into action, recognizing the need for efficiency and organization in moving Mustang's subordinate.

"You three, stay on guard. We have robbers on the loose who will shoot us on site. You can return the favor if you see them. You two will assist in building a stretcher to transport the Fullmetal Alchemist." Riza ordered as she pointed at each member of the Charlie squad.

"Al?" Alphonse turned his head to see Edward's eyes partly open and staring at him.

"Brother!" Al said, crouching next to Edward. Mustang crouched right next to Al.

"Colonel?" Ed frowned confused.

"Hey Fullmetal. It's about time you woke up. We thought you were going to sleep through all the work." Mustang teased, trying to keep the mood light.

"I'm tired." Ed sighed before closing his eyes again and falling back asleep.

"Well it looks like he's doing somewhat better." Mustang sighed as he patted Al on the back and stood up. "Let's hurry and get him home."

"Sir, we're ready to go." Riza reported after another ten minutes.

"Good, I want Charlie squad to alert the other search squads that we found Fullmetal and I want those train robbers captured alive if possible. You and I can bring Fullmetal to the temporary base with Alphonse." Mustang replied.

"Sir, it would be best to bring two of the men from Charlie squad as extra security. The other three can still follow out your orders." The lieutenant suggested.

"Very well, but I want the fastest and quietest men out of the group. Let's go." Mustang said as he helped Al move Edward onto the stretcher. As soon as the boy was on the stretcher, the two men from Charlie squad gently lifted Ed and carried him out of the cave. The other three members split up and went in search of Alpha, Beta, and Delta squads. Alphonse and Riza followed Ed while Mustang led the way, creating a line of defense should they be attacked. They took a longer route to the river to ensure no one would follow them and stuck to the trees so they would have some protection from anyone they wished to avoid.

Once they made it to the river, they were reunited with the main division in charge of all the search parties. Among the people were Hughes and Armstrong. Upon seeing the group walk into camp, they were relieved. The Elrics had been found. Then their relief turned into horror as they saw the state Edward was in. They rushed over to investigate, but couldn't get close as doctors took him into a medial tent to perform emergency treatment. They walked over to Mustang who was giving orders to anyone who stood near him.

"Colonel, what happened?" Hughes demanded as he approached the Flame Alchemist.

"Fullmetal is severely injured. The doctors are helping him now, but we have to get him to Central Hospital. We need search parties to locate the train robbers that were hunting them down in the forest. There are about three miles south of here. I wanted them captured and brought in for questioning. They're dangerous, so use force if necessary, but try not to kill them." Mustang answered as he oversaw the controlled chaos around him.

There was a lot of noise suddenly coming from the medical tent. Alphonse could be heard panicking as they kicked him out of the tent and doctors rushed in and out of the tent. The Colonel and two majors went to investigate what was happening, but were unable to get near the tent. Riza grabbed Alphonse and pulled him to Mustang, trying to soothe him as he tried to go back towards the tent.

"Just what is going on?" Mustang asked.

"Another seizure sir, and it's not looking good." Riza replied. "They need to stabilize him, but he's in critical condition at this point."

"I want cars ready to go." Mustang demanded. "We're leaving. Now." The fire in his eyes left no room for argument and he stormed off, yelling at anyone who got in his way. Riza watched him leave and took Alphonse over to Armstrong before carrying out Mustang's orders.


	4. Chapter 4

At the hospital, nurses rushed from one part to another, carrying supplies, clipboards, and medicine. Other nurses directed traffic, consoled anxious family members, and checked on patients as they made their round. In one corner of the waiting room, standing out like a sore thumb, was Mustang, his team, and Alphonse. Mustang glared at anyone who came near the group, daring them to try and get him to relax or get something to drink. Riza stood at attention behind him, her rigid stance adding her own frightening glare to anyone who even looked at the Colonel. Havoc was by a window, smoking to relieve stress, despite the obvious no smoking policy the hospital had. Breda looked at magazines, flipping pages aimlessly as Alphonse walked back and forth nervously, continuously clanking as he walked and rubbed his hands together over and over. Lieutenant Maes had also arrived at the hospital and managed to corner a poor unsuspecting nurse into listening to the 20,000 stories he had about his precious angel, Elicia. The group was extremely high strung, waiting several hours for any news of the youngest State Alchemist that had been admitted into surgery upon arrival. A pair of doors opened nearby and everyone's heads turned to see a doctor remove his bloody garments and dispose of them in the sanitation area before heading their way.

"Is my brother alright? Will he wake up soon? When can I see him?" Alphonse asked worriedly before the doctor even said a word.

"Edward Elric is currently recovering from surgery and is asleep. Whether he fully recovers depends on the amount of bed rest and rehabilitation therapy he receives for that injured arm of his. He lost of a lot of blood and almost died. We're going to keep him here for at least a week to keep an eye on him. I won't allow any visitors until he has woken up and even then, just immediate family and the colonel. I'll keep you updated as things progress. For now, I suggest you all go home and get some rest. It'll be a long road of recovery and patience and energy from all of you will be necessary to help Edward mend faster. I'm sorry I can't offer you more positive news." The doctor walked away before anyone else could ask more questions, exhaustion showing as he shuffled to the staff area of the hospital.

Alphonse hung himself in defeat. He was glad to hear his brother was going to pull through, but upset that he couldn't see his brother right away. He didn't feel like going back to the military housing by himself, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. Mustang didn't look any happier at the news and stood up before heading to Edward's room. "Sir, may I remind you that the doctor said there was to be no visitors allowed at the moment." Riza said as she followed the colonel.

"I'm aware of that lieutenant, but when have you ever known me to follow others orders that were below my rank." Mustang replied.

"I can only think of one person whose orders you would follow that are beneath you sir. And that would be me. Need I remind you that for the best interest of Edward, I must tell you that I can't allow you to disturb his rest." Riza answered, removing her gun as a subtle way to remind him of who was truly in charge right now.

"I can't just head home without making sure that he truly is alive. We almost lost him. Seizures and a collapsed lung. Extreme loss of blood, bullet wounds, and broken bones, as well as a concussion. Can you blame me for wanting to make sure that he actually pulled through?" Mustang shouted as they both stood in the middle of the hallway, staring each other down.

"Right now, it doesn't matter what you or I want. What matters is that we follow the doctor's instructions. We all want to see Ed and make sure he's okay, Alphonse especially. Right now, we just need to solve this case, take care of Alphonse, and wait for Ed to wake up. And I suggest we start by not yelling in a hospital where people are trying to recover." Hawkeye looked at him, daring Roy to argue with her. He looked at her, furious with the fact that she was right. No matter what he wanted, and one of those desires was to set something on fire, he knew as a colonel, he had other priorities to take care of. Admitting Hawkeye was right was the smartest and safest choice he could make right now, but it wouldn't be easy for Roy. Slowly, Roy lowered his head in agreement, then walked back to Alphonse, who was still pacing the floor.

"Come on Alphonse, you can stay with me while Ed recovers." Mustang said as he led the way out of the hospital. Al followed him to the car and sat quietly in the backseat while Mustang dropped Riza at her home. After they arrived at Mustang's house, the Colonel went to setting up a bed in his guest room with plenty of reading material for Al. He made a quick dinner of pasta and sat at the table, watching Alphonse who just stared outside through his living room window.

"Al, your brother will be fine. I promise. I'm sorry I blew up back at the hospital. I know you must be extremely worried about him." Mustang said as he stood up to go wash his dishes in the kitchen sink.

"I just want to see him. He's all I have left for family. I wouldn't even know what to do if he didn't recover." Al said sadly as he faced the colonel. "I don't know how to get my body back on my own, I'm not a state alchemist, I can't get a job with the way I look, and I don't want to inconvenience Winry. I would be stuck in this body, unable to do the things I love because brother would be gone."

"Do you really think we would just abandon you Al?" Mustang asked. "Do you think any of us would really just leave you to figure things out by yourself?"

"Of course not! But the military won't hire me unless I can become a state alchemist like brother. And we know that won't happen if I don't have a body!" Al replied.

"Your brother is doing everything he can to get your bodies back. But you should also be working just as hard, if not harder, because you are just as smart as him and have more time to devote to getting your bodies back. He may be the older brother, but that doesn't mean you just support him. You need to try and surpass him in order to achieve your goals, Alphonse!" Mustang replied harshly, tired of the excuses.

"You don't understand! Even if I have the knowledge, I can't preform a transmutation on myself. My brother was the one who bonded my soul to this suit of armor. He's the only one who can perform the transmutation to get my body back. I can't even get my own body back! Do you think I want brother to sacrifice even more for me?! Do you think I enjoy watching him prepare to give up even more of himself to give me my body back if he can't find another way to return us to normal?! It hurts me everytime he talks about it because I can't take his place and fix my own mistakes. He is still playing the role of big brother and fixing his own mistakes and mine! IT'S NOT FAIR! I should be able to take care of myself! I should be the one in that hospital bed because I couldn't help brother now or even on that day! I'm USELESS and I deserve to be in this body! I'll never forgive myself for what happened to Edward, now or back then! You will never, ever, know what it's like to live our lives!" Alphonse said, slamming his fist on the dinner table, splitting it in two.

The sound of the table breaking and Alphonse yelling and throwing a fit stunned the Colonel. He had never seen Alphonse berate himself or even raise his voice. He never knew Alphonse could feel this way, but he should have known better. Mustang knew for a fact that everyone spent all their time focused on Ed, not that he gave them much of a choice, and often times Alphonse was left in his wake, trying to keep up with his brother. The same could be said for his recognition in their faults and achievements. Ed always came first. For Alphonse to be this upset, he had to have kept it bottled for years. Alphonse stood there, shaking from frustration, anger, and embarrassment and what he had said and done. Never before had he had such an outburst and he was mortified that he had done it in front of, even towards, the Colonel. Al quickly drew a transmutation circle on the broken pieces of the table.

"Colonel, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things or yelled at you. I know you're trying to help. I just felt helpless. I can't even fix this table by myself. All I can do is do the basic things, even when I'm with brother. Why did our lives end up like this? What did we do to deserve such a fate? No parents, no home, no childhood. What kind of life is that?" Al whispered as he sat on the floor, his hand covering his face.

"It's a life that shows your struggle to survive, to live beyond the cards given to you and your brother." Mustang said as he kneeled next to Alphonse, his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You have a right to be angry, but you also need to accept it and move on. You and your brother both recognize and admit the mistakes you both made when most people can't do that for much smaller mistakes. You should be proud of what you have accomplished and know that everyone you know in Central is supporting you and your brother. We'll help you when you need it, even if it's something as small as giving you a place to stay or the next clue on your journey. But you also have to accept the fact that you and your brother are different from normal people and your path isn't normal. Now, let's finish fixing this table, get some rest, and we'll visit your brother in the morning. No more moping." Mustang ordered as he stood up and performed the transmutation. Alphonse brushed himself off as he stood up as well, heading towards the couch. The Colonel brought Al some books and a small radio to listen to before heading upstairs and going to bed. Al spent the one of the longest nights of his life thinking about what Mustang had told him and remembering the nights Ed had spent recovering from their biggest mistake of their lives. By the time morning came, he had decided that he was going to work on forgiving himself for the things he could no longer control or change and move on. He was very anxious to see his brother and almost went and dragged the Colonel out of bed.

Mustang eventually got up, showered and changed, and ate breakfast. Al kept pacing in the living room, barely able to contain his nervousness as Mustang seemed to take his time getting ready. Finally, Mustang washed his dishes, grabbed his keys, and led Alphonse to the car, locking the house behind them. The ride to the hospital was extremely quiet, the engine and street traffic significantly louder than usual. Mustang parked the car and followed Alphonse, who had rushed inside and went straight to the sign-in desk. After receiving clearance, the duo made their way to Edward's room where they found he was still sleeping. The doctor was still adamant that no one disturb his rest.

"Look doctor, we promise not to wake him. His brother is very anxious to see him and make sure he's on the mend. Would you be able to stay away from your child or wife if they were injured?" Mustang asked politely, remembering that anger had gotten him nowhere last time.

"I can sympathize with Edward's brother, truly I can. But it's best to wait, for the both of them, until Edward has had more time to recover. Frankly, Edward isn't in the best condition to be seen and it could hurt Alphonse in more ways than one to see Edward as anything but strong and healthy. You will have to make him understand that Edward will not get better if he keeps on being impatient. I'm sorry, but my answer is still no visitors." The doctor left Mustang standing in the hallway while Alphonse watched the exchange from the nearby waiting chairs.

"Can I see brother now?" Alphonse asked.

"That jerk of a doctor says no one can see him until he wakes up. I say it's arrogance and stubbornness preventing us from seeing Ed. Whether the doctor likes it or not, I'm going in." Mustang grabbed the doorknob to Ed's room and opened the door, allowing Alphonse in first, before following the suit of armor and shutting the door. It was dark in the room, the curtains shut tight. Only emergency nightlights installed above the bed provided some illumination. The room felt dark and gloomy and Mustang couldn't help but think the room had a sinister feel to it. While Alphonse sat in the chair closest to the bed, Mustang opened all the curtains he could, letting as much natural light in as possible. He turned around to grab his own chair, but froze at seeing Ed's injuries.

He looked pale, bruises covering every inch of his body and sweat on his forehead from the fever he still had. His head was bandaged, along with his left arm and ribs. He was shirtless, so as to make changing the bandages on his left shoulder easier. Thick gauze was used to pad and protect the area where the bullet had been removed. He also looked thinner, having barely eaten since the accident. He was hooked up to a respirator to help ease his breathing and several monitors checked his vitals such as blood pressure, heart rate, and brain activity. Two IV's were hooked up to Ed, one with fluids and nutrients, the other with blood. The bed looked like it could swallow Ed whole and it made him look smaller than ever. It didn't help that they had removed his automail in order to maneuver him better and easier for surgery, x-rays, and other medical treatments. It was hard to believe that this child had suffered more than many people could in three lifetimes. Mustang couldn't help but blame himself a little for allowing Ed to run wherever he felt like without checking on him from time to time. He should have done a better job looking after him and Alphonse. Sighing, Mustang sat down in the chair next to Alphonse and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment.

Eventually a nurse showed up to check on Ed, only to find Mustang asleep and Alphonse silently reading a book that he had brought with him. She froze where she was, not sure how to proceed, but eventually continued her job of checking Edward's IV's and chart readouts from the monitors. Making some quick notes on a clipboard, she handed Alphonse a blanket for the Colonel and left, only smiling at the suit of armor before she shut the door. Alphonse was touched by her generosity, both for the blanket and letting them stay when they shouldn't have been there. Alphonse wrapped the blanket around the Colonel before getting comfortable again. Several hours passed and Mustang woke up again, stepping outside to get some food, use the restroom, and make a status update call to Riza and the others. He returned to his seat next to Alphonse, looking out the window to watch the sun set.

Ten minutes after the last nurse had made her rounds, the doctor came in, expecting to check Ed's progress, only to find Alphonse and Mustang. Immediately, the doctor became angry and was about to yell when the Colonel raised a finger to his mouth while smiling and shushed the doctor. Infuriated, the doctor left to call security. Upon his return, he found that the Colonel and Alphonse had no intention of leaving without causing a scene and potentially waking the Fullmetal Alchemist up. The doctor had no choice but to let them stay, but he warned them that there would be consequences for what they done. Pleased with their small victory, the duo spent the night there, waiting for Ed to wake up.

The next three days went by fast, Mustang supporting Alphonse as best he could. Riza had decided that since the Colonel wasn't coming in to the office, she would bring his work to him. Between the doctor and Riza, Mustang got no rest. Alphonse was slowly becoming more and more agitated and worried as his brother slept the days away. He couldn't understand why his brother remained unconscious when he felt there was no logical reason to do so. The doctor had told him his brother would wake soon hopefully, but Al wasn't sure he could wait that long. It was becoming harder not to shake Ed by the shoulders to wake him up.

Finally on the 6th day, Edward woke up. It was only for a few minutes, but he had woken up. Relieved that his brother was on the mend, Alphonse felt ten times better as all the guilt and worry left his shoulders. Mustang couldn't stop smiling, relieved that the young Alchemist would survive. However, his smile left later that night when he began to wonder what their next plan of action would be once Ed left the hospital. He wouldn't be able to go on missions for some time while he recovered, not that it had ever stopped him in the past. Then there was the matter of tracking down the would-be kidnappers if Alphonse and Edward hadn't been lucky enough to escape. Ed wouldn't let an attack like this go unchallenged and would want to go after them himself, something Mustang couldn't even begin to consider, even if Ed had been at full health, which he wasn't. Struggling with indecision, Mustang was only half paying attention to the young alchemist who watched him as he thought about his next move.

"Mind telling me what it takes to get some food around here?" Ed joked, watching the Colonel jump at the sound of his voice.

"Ed? You're awake. Good. I'll get the doctor." Mustang said, ignoring his food comment.

"Don't bother. The doctors are just going to say I should stay in bed and rest. You know I can't and won't accept that as an option. I have to find the philosopher's stone. Plus, those train robbers haven't been caught yet, have they?" Ed replied, watching Mustang pause at the doorway.

"You're only concern right now should be getting better. That means listening to the doctor's advice. You nearly died, gave me and Al heart attacks and tons of stress, and now you just want to gallivant on some new adventure that could kill you in the blink of an eye. Tell me, how is that fair to any of us. We risk our necks for you, our careers, your only family member is practically on the verge of a mental collapse, and you can't even see past your own agenda." Mustang growled, turning and staring Ed down.

"Like you're one to talk Mr. I use people however the hell I feel like it and don't care what happens to them unless the job gets done. Next Mr. Fuher himself. Since when have you ever cared what I did before now. So what if I got hurt. It's not the first time, or have you not even noticed that. News flash: I can take care of myself. Got it? I don't need you babying me or doing any unnecessary favors. You're not my father and I don't need a lecture. Especially from you." Ed was steaming mad, practically read to punch the Colonel in the face. At this point, Alphonse had returned with the cup of coffee he had gone to fetch for the Colonel while Ed slept. Seeing the tension between the two military members was frustrating, but Al was secretly cheering at the fact that his brother was awake again and apparently back to his old self, minus the injuries.

"You know what you're problem is Fullmetal? You can't let people get close enough to you to actually be there for you. I know you have trust issues, but this is ridiculous. People depend on each other in one way or another. I depend on Riza, Alphonse depends on you, and I would hope you can depend on me when you're in trouble. But since that isn't the case, I'll let you figure out what to do next. And I won't be bailing you out of the hospital early." Mustang grabbed his paperwork and left a stunned alchemist and a worried Alphonse in the hospital, hailing a taxi and heading home. Ed had a way of pissing Mustang off and tonight was no different.

"Brother?" Al asked quietly as he approached his older brother. "Are you alright?"

"Just fine Al!" Ed snapped. "I'm going back to bed." He grabbed the blankets and threw them over his head as best as he could, tuning out the world and it's problems. Al sighed and placed the coffee on the table near the bed, since he couldn't drink it and Ed wouldn't. His life was just a big ball of fun right now. He really missed the times he could be with his brother alone, it was more relaxed and carefree, even when on a mission. Soon he heard Ed snoring, and Al had to wonder, what would they do next?


	5. Chapter 5

Edward spent the next week on watch in the hospital, having taken so long to wake up. He went through different tests, bloodwork, and exams, all with an unhappy scowl on his face. The constant checkups, comments about his height, and overall boredom was driving him insane. Alphonse was only handling it somewhat better because he was able to come and go, not that he chose to Leave Edward's side a lot. There was still no word from Colonel Mustang since he stormed out of the hospital and Ed was beginning to feel a little guilty for the incident. He still felt he shouldn't be punished so harshly by being kept cooped up in the hospital. Grumbling about flame jerks and stupid injuries, he didn't hear the next nurse come in to do her rounds.

"Good Afternoon Mr. Elric. Time for your next checkup!"

"You're way too cheery for this place." Ed mumbled as he sat up slightly to help her maneuver around him easier.

"What was that?" The nurse asked, an evil glint to her eye and a creepy smile plastered on her face.

"Nothing!" Ed said, shivering as she placed the stethoscope on his chest.

"You'll be glad to hear that you'll be released from here tomorrow, pending you have somewhere to recooperate and someone of age to watch you." The nurse stated as she checked his blood pressure.

"Why can't my brother watch me? We live together?" Ed replied.

"He's not of age. We need to make sure you're safe and someone is there to help you if you need assistance."

"Al can do that! He's my brother. We're always there for each other!"

"I don't make the rules. You will have to stay here until you are able to have an adult look after you or your injuries are no longer serious." The nurse finished the checkup, wrote her notes on his clipboard, and left the room.

"Can you believe this Al? I'm going to be stuck here until I'm 30!" Ed grumbled.

"You could ask the Colonel if we could stay with him…" Al suggested quietly.

"Are you serious Al?! He doesn't want to be anywhere near me and I feel the same about him. He's a jerk and rude and about as caring as a thumbtack."

"Well, you were rude to him. And you're not an easy patient to look after." Al responded snippily before returning to his book.

"What's gotten into you Al? You have never acted like this before?" Ed asked, surprised by the comment.

"Maybe I'm tired of watching you try to get yourself killed!" Al snapped as he slammed his book shut.

"TRYING to get myself killed? Al, I would never do that!"

"Oh, excuse me. Is it just me or do we always seem to be in a hospital?"

"That's not my fault! I don't intentionally seek to get hurt, but things happen. I'm just trying to get our bodies back. You're being really ungrateful right now. I'm risking my butt for you and you're being a jerk right now!"

"You know what brother? I'm going for a walk. If you want to stay in this hospital, that's your choice. Or you could stop having this pity party and call the Colonel to help you get out of here. I don't care either way." Alphonse stood up, placed his book on the table by Ed and slammed the door shut as he left.

Edward sat there, stunned and infuriated by his brother's comments. Everything he had done was for his brother. He became an Alchemist for him, risked his life for him, even made sure that he was well oiled and that the blood seal didn't deteriorate. He couldn't understand how Al could accuse him of not being there for him. Between Al and the Colonel, Ed felt that maybe it was time for him to go solo for a while. He didn't need nagging whining people holding him back from accomplishing his goal.

Ed grabbed his automail that was sitting in the chair next to him and manually attached it, holding back the screams of pain as he connected them. He didn't want anyone to know what he was doing, but he couldn't stop the tears from leaving his face as the pain seared through his body. He ripped out the different tubes and monitors on his body, quickly switching off the machines so the alarms wouldn't go off and alert the hospital staff. He slowly and stiffly got dressed, leaving his red coat behind on the bed as it was too noticeable at the moment. Leaving his hair loose to hide his face, Edward walked to the door and began to walk down the hallway, keeping his head down. He walked by a male nurse, who looked his way, smiled, and nodded his head at him, assuming he was a female visitor. Ed kept walking until he made it through the hospital front doors, then turned left and began heading to the train station. He made sure no one was following him and jumped onto the train headed for his teacher's old town. He had a feeling there was some research he could do in the library there, as he hadn't checked it out when he was under her tutelage.

Alphonse returned from his walk, much calmer than before. This was one of the few times he had really wanted to take Ed by the shoulders and shake him until he knocked some sense into him. His brother could be so stubborn and difficult, but this was a new level of frustrating madness coming from Edward. He knew his brother was trying his best to help the both of them, but he seriously felt that Edward needed to accept the help being given this time. He was going to tell Edward so when he saw him and call the Colonel himself if his brother still refused. He walked into the hospital and went to his brother's room, knocking on the door before entering. He stood in the doorway, confused as he saw the empty bed with his brother's jacket laying on it. He scanned the room, but there was no sign of his brother. Quickly checking the bathroom, he began to panic as he went to the nurse's station.

"Excuse me miss, can you tell me where Edward Elric is?" Alphonse asked.

"He is in room 34B." The nurse replied without looking up from her paperwork.

"I know where his room is, but he's not in there." Alphonse replied politely. "Was he taken for an exam or testing?"

The nurse looked up at him. "I'll check with the doctor. Wait here please." She stood up and went to the back, returning a few minutes later looking more concerned than before. "Edward Elric should be in his room. He had no scheduled checkups or testing for the rest of the day." Alphonse followed the nurse to his brother's room, concern growing more and more by the moment. They both entered the room. The nurse saw the machines turned off and immediately knew that they wouldn't find Edward Elric on site.

"Those machines are not supposed to be off unless the doctor clears it. Since we had no authorization to do so, I'm assuming Mr. Elric did it to avoid alerting us of his departure. I need to call Colonel Mustang and notify him that Mr. Elric is gone as well as the doctor."

"I'll call the Colonel. Can we please keep looking for brother though? He might have just gone for a walk around the area." Alphonse commented.

"Very well. Please notify any of the staff members if you do find your brother." The nurse left to alert the rest of the hospital of the alchemist's disappearance. Meanwhile, Alphonse ran to the public phone in the waiting room and quickly dialed Central's number.

"Central military district headquarters, how may I direct your call?"

"Colonel Mustant please."

"Who is calling?"

"Alphonse Elric, brother of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"One moment please."

"Hello?"

"Colonel! It's me, Alphonse!"

"Al? What's wrong?"

"Brother's missing!"

"WHAT? What do you mean _missing_?"

"He's not here. We got into a fight and I left to cool off and when I got back, he was gone!"

"Okay, I'll alert the rest of the team. Check with Ms. Winry and make sure he isn't there or to alert us if he does show up. Then start checking the areas you think he might have gone to. We'll check central headquarters and then the rest of the city."

"Thank you Colonel! I'll check in with you if I find him or by the end of the day." Alphonse hung up the phone and left the hospital, check the nearby surrounding area and then heading towards the local library, figuring his brother would be back to work. When he found no sign of his brother there, he sat on the library steps and began to panic. "Brother, where are you?"

"Boss, the Fullmetal Alchemist is missing."

"Excellent! We need to nab him and take him to the higher ups so we can redeem ourselves and get our reward. Find him and bring him here."

"You heard the boss, everyone move it. Find the runt!"


End file.
